Tests Verify Orofino Boy Has Bacteria Vaccine Exists For The Type Of Meningitis-Like Disease He Has

Test results Wednesday confirm an 8-year-old Orofino, Idaho, boy hospitalized at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane has meningococcemia.

The unidentified elementary school student has strain C of the deadly bacterial disease, which often is mistakenly called meningitis. There is a vaccine for strain C, meaning people exposed to the youth can be treated.

His test results put the tally of confirmed cases at 15 in Idaho so far this year, three times what was found in the state five years ago. Three of the cases have occurred since June 4, striking a 7-month-old infant and a 12-year-old Idaho Falls girl as well as the Orofino boy, health officials report.

The infant was lucky, spending only one day in the hospital. The 12-year-old girl apparently is in a more serious condition and was flown to a hospital in Salt Lake City.

A 12-year-old Weippe boy died last month and a 19-year-old University of Idaho sophomore spent three months in the hospital with meningococcemia, or meningococcal disease. Erin Nielson is recovering at her family’s home in Nampa after losing both legs and the tip of one finger to the disease.

No one died from meningococcal disease in Idaho in 1995, but it claimed two lives in 1994 and three in 1993, health officials say.

Washington, meanwhile, has reported 46 cases so far this year. The state had 127 cases in 1995, a post-World War II record. Seven people died from the bacterial disease last year.

The increase in the disease in the Pacific Northwest is unexplained, said Jesse Greenblatt, Idaho state epidemiologist.

Children are stricken with meningococcal disease most often. It comes from bacteria in the nose and throat that is carried by many more people than are stricken with the disease. The bacteria is transmitted by coughing and sneezing.

Early on, the disease is marked by fever, headaches, chills, nausea and joint or muscle pain. Some people develop a red rash or bruise-like purplish spots that spread rapidly.

The symptoms come on suddenly and spread rapidly. People with any sign of meningococcal disease should see a doctor or go to the emergency room immediately, health officials say.

Rapid treatment is key to saving people. Nearly half of the people stricken die if not treated.

, DataTimes